In The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, conformity plays a major role. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, there are two rival gangs, the greasers and the Socs. The greasers are considered hoods and delinquents, while the Socs are considered nice, responsible children, even though they often are just as bad as the greasers. Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser, is not like everyone else, while the other greasers beat up strangers and rob gas stations, Ponyboy likes to read books, watch movies, and look at sunsets. Through the actions of the greasers, Hinton shows that a teenager will tend to hide his differences ad will do what is expected of him, rather than what he wants, proving that conformity can be beneficial.
Darry, Ponyboy’s older brother, is different from the rest of the greasers. While in school, Darry was a football star, a great student, and a well-behaved child. When his parents die, leaving him in charge of his brothers, he has to leave everything behind to become a …show more content…
Before a large fight between the greasers and the Socs, Ponyboy asks all the greasers why they fight, their answers do not vary much; revenge and hatred. Yet Two-Bit’s answer sticks out. “Hey Two-Bit, how come you like to fight? He looked at me like I was off my nut. ‘Shoot, everybody fights.’” Ponyboy then thinks… “If everybody jumped in the Arkansas River, ol’ Two-bit would be right on their heels.” (137). While Two-Bit is not like the other greasers in this respect, and he may enjoy greasy hair and robbing gas stations, he sees no purposes and feels no joy in fighting. Yet, he does it anyway to fit in. The other greasers find fighting fun, they do it to blow off steam, or just to feel their fist dig into another person’s skin. Two-Bit just fights to fit in, he fights to be accepted as part of the group, which is more important to him than enjoying what he does to be accepted, proving that Two-Bit finds it beneficial to conform to the greasers’